Season one of Netflix's Dead To Me was pretty much adored across the board. People hungry for confusing, contradictory, funny, charming, loyal, fierce female characters found themselves greatly satiated.
Streaming services have become more in tune with the demand for such content, and it's been a thrill to turn ourselves out to other work like it while we've been waiting for what has now arrived. Season two brings new characters and some great plot additions to the series, but as with anything, it also has its low points. It's not easy to follow up such a great first season, after all.
10 Judy Dating A Woman Isn't A Big Deal
Many shows would, and have, and continue to put a large emphasis on the introduction of a character demonstrating that they aren't straight. For some people, the ritual of "coming out" should naturally spread to the experiences of TV characters, but that doesn't mean it's the only way of doing things, or necessarily the best one.
Judy dating a woman occurs as naturally as if she were dating a man, Jen's only comment about it is that they are cute together. This normalizes the varying quality of sexuality, a breath of fresh air to many.
9 Jen's Money Problems
Jen has lost her husband, and therefore the second income that she is used to relying on. It makes sense that she might suffer from some financial readjustments.
But from looking at Jen's lifestyle and the lavish house she lives in, it's a bit much to ask the viewer to take pity on her when she laments being in a financial situation. She wants to "downsize" as if that's a big step when downsizing from her house would probably land her a house still above average.
8 Charlie Appreciates Jen
Time and time again we watch Charlie take Jen for granted, and everything about the life she creates for him. He is an upper-middle-class boy with a mother who fiercely loves him and bases her life around his well-being.
Sure, Jen has a temper, but she is never abusive to her children verbally or physically. Charlie frequently treats her with disrespect, and it's refreshing to see him finally growing up and showing concern for the woman who cares for him.
7 Judy Gets Excessively Whacky
The show usually makes sure not to represent Judy's eccentric personality as her being crazy or out of her mind in some way. The fact that people call her nuts is a theme in season one, and Jen swiftly asserts her disapproval of it, citing it as yet another example of men undermining women.
It's a little uncomfortable when a scene in season two teeters on the edge of representing Judy as being genuinely irrational, insisting that Steve is uncomfortable in the freezer and wants to move--when he's dead.
6 Judy Supports Jen With Ben
As soon as it's clear that there's chemistry between Ben and Jen, a natural next response is for the viewer to dread Judy finding out. It's a common occurrence for female characters to be pitted against each other due to jealousy over a man, so one's instinctive assumption is for this to happen between Jen and Judy.
Luckily, the show rids itself of this old habit, showing Judy prioritizing Jen's happiness over her own ego.
5 Judy Has Little Self Control
Judy's innocent, bubbly tendencies are much of what makes her unique and endearing, but there are times when she is borderline childish, and it's a little wearisome. Jen will explicitly tell Judy not to try and influence sensitive situations--something she arguably shouldn't have to tell her--and makes her promise not to talk about any crimes they are involved in.
Yet, Judy almost always manages to spill her guts. We can sympathize, but it does risk-taking a bit too much agency away from her character.
4 Judy Says No
By the end of the series, we find Judy finally learning how to say no to people. This is largely due to Jen's influence in her life, one of many positive results coming from their friendship.
Both women bring much turmoil to the other, but they also challenge each other in ways that bring out their best. Judy is kind and generous, but Jen helps her see that this isn't always in her best interest and that saying no can be a way of being kind to one's self.
3 Jen Sleeps With Ben
It's understandable that Jen might be attracted to Ben. His personality is completely different from Steve's, a credit to the writers of the show and James Marsden's shining performance. Judy also points out that Jen and she still deserve love even if they have made some mistakes in life, and this is fair.
However, it's bizarre for her to sleep with a man who looks exactly like the one she murdered, and on top of it, it's another addition to her acts of cruelty--Ben is innocent (at that time) and has no idea he is sleeping with his brother's murderer. Season three has much to work with...
2 They End The Series United
Jen and Judy face many joys and sorrows together. Judy moves in and out of Jen's house so much that we might have trouble trusting if their relationship will last, which charges the whole show with a sense of hopeful anticipation and a dash of dread.
But low and behold, the two find themselves on the other side of things and still standing side by side at the end of season two.
1 Perez Breaks Character
Good writing will show that characters grow and shift, morphing into people we never thought they could be at first glance. This is expected, particularly with a show as well-written as Dead To Me. But Detective Perez doesn't slowly change.
We do learn more about her personal life, but that doesn't mean she herself should change when performing her role as a police officer. It's jarring, then, when she suddenly shifts gears and drops her steady devotion to the job in favor of letting Jen go free for murder.
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